The very best from the world of smooth jazz and classic soul.

June 06, 2017

Maysa - Love Is A Battlefield

When confronted with an album comprised entirely of covers it is easy to dismiss it as just that, an album of covers. However, in the case of ‘Love Is A Battlefield’ by the wonderful Maysa, do so at your peril. This tight re-imagining of some of the best R & B tunes of all time (with a couple of choice pop hits thrown in for good measure) has Maysa’s distinctive stamp all over it and with input from three ‘A-list’ producers, Chris ‘Big Dog’ Davis, The Heavyweights and Jason Miles, this just might be the best CD of the year so far.

Talking of making the music all her own, look no further than Maysa’s superb handling of the Justin Bieber tune ‘As Long As You Love Me’ with lyrics she describes as a mantra for her whole life and later she rolls back the years with the Atlantic Starr classic ‘Am I Dreaming’ that, for soul lovers everywhere, is guaranteed to send shivers down the spine.

On the subject of rolling back the years the inclusion of the much-covered Jerry Butler blockbuster ‘Mr. Dream Merchant’ is totally inspired while elsewhere ‘Can We Talk’, written by Babyface and first recorded in 1992 by Tevin Campbell, proves to be a luscious slice of mid temp R & B that is right up there with the best that ‘Love Is A Battlefield’ has to offer.

In this respect it is in the stellar company of the Isley Brothers seminal ‘Footsteps In The Dark’ where Jamie Jones on supporting vocals comes up big and although ‘The Things We Do For Love’ is a sultry rhythmic take a number originally sung by Nona Gaye (the daughter of the great Marvin Gaye) it is the sumptuous title cut, slowed down and deconstructed, that is barely recognizable from the song brought to prominence in 1983 by Pat Benatar.

Luther Vandross was one of R & B’s great musical story tellers and here Maysa breathes new life into his delicious 1986 smash ‘Because It’ Really Love’ while later she tips a hat to the late great Natalie Cole with the timeless ‘Inseparable’ for which Carl Cox’s contribution on sax is right on the money.

Although ‘Love Is A Battlefield’ is a CD that continuously lives on the edge of seductive soul, when Maysa notches up the tempo for Odyssey’s dance floor filling ‘Inside Out’ the outcome is sensational and just one more reason why you should hurry to make this breathtaking recording part of your collection.